A hastily made table was set up at the remains of the camping site where a burnt smell still faintly remained, and a simple breakfast of just lightly toasted breads, smoked hams and also cheeses and boiled eggs were lined up on it.
However, the Crown Prince, who had said that he had no appetite because of lack of sleep, had been drinking wine only since just now and had hardly consumed them. On the contrary, Shakira claimed that she was hungry as she had worked throughout the night and was even extending her fork towards the Crown Prince’s plate.
Lucius, who was standing by beside the Crown Prince, spoke in a small voice.
「…We’ll be going to Selsuru like this today. If you don’t eat even just a little—」
「I just don’t have any appetite.Even if I don’t have lack of sleep, there are those kinds of faces right before my eyes, you see」
In front of Isaac, who had also replied so in a whisper, were Michel, Héctor and also Hugo kneeling down side by side. All three people had wrapped bandages here and there, but the fact that it ended with this degree despite them sustaining burns to the extent that they were dying was probably due to Shakira giving them first aid with magic.
Seemingly unaware of the fact that he had made the Crown Prince lose his appetite, Michel continued to shout, his saliva flying from the corners of his mouth.
「Your Highness! That brat was going to kill us! Please pass a strict judgement on him in accordance with the chivalric order’s rules! Please pass a just judgement on that impudent Dimitar Richternach!」
「Even if you tell me that…」
Without even hiding a big yawn, the Crown Prince rubbed his eyes sleepily.
「Ah, Lucius-kun, what did the Richternach-kyou, who isn’t you, say about this matter?」
「He said that it was them who had tried to kill him. He was suddenly shot by an arrow during the fight against the thieves」
Lucius stared at Michel and answered so.
Properly speaking, Dimitar should have answered that with his own mouth. Confronting Michel’s party in front of the Crown Prince and declaring his own innocence and the other party’s lawlessness should have been the right way.
However, Dimitar wasn’t allowed to do that. For troubles within the group, it was stipulated that the fellow members would assert their rightfulness in front of the leader, and upon hearing the points of both sides, the leader would judge their right and wrong, but Michel rejected Dimitar’s presence on the grounds that his status was still an apprentice.
「That’s nonsense!」
Hugo, who was next to Michel, shouted.
「That guy is speaking without thinking, Your Highness! We also saw it! That brat suddenly attacked Michel… and the two of us tried to stop him—」
「That’s right! If Oji-ue learns of this matter—」
Héctor also kept in tune with Hugo and asserted so. Lucius’s eyebrows quivered, and he secretly clenched his fists tightly.
「Ah, so noisy, so noisy; can I have one person do the talking?」
The Crown Prince waved his hand and knitted his brows.
「…Michel, and you on both his sides! All three of you are close relatives, right? If that’s the case, the testimony of you guys can’t be accepted as evidence, you know」
「No way…!」
「B, but in that case, both sides can’t assert their rightfulness!」
「Judging from the situation—」
Lucius spoke to the Crown Prince in a voice that had pushed emotion aside as much as possible.
「It doesn’t seem that Richternach-kyou acted to make a surprise attack on them. When I went towards the scene, I met the members who had escaped late, and according to the report I received, Richternach-kyou had remained there alone to fight against the thieves—」
「Who said such a thing!」
As if to suppress Lucius’s words, Michel stood up and shouted.
「If a person who had said such a thing exists, I want them to come out! Come on!」
Michel looked back at the members sitting in a row behind him, opened his arms exaggeratedly and appealed to them. However, nobody responded to that and stepped forward. They were most likely afraid of going against the Bolieiro House. Although Lucius remembered the faces and names of the apprentices whom he had talked with last night, he also didn’t particularly feel like forcing a tough decision on them here.
Seeing that no one came out, Michel smiled contentedly.
「Hey」
At that moment, Shakira, who was holding a tin tankard with both hands and drinking wine, called out to Michel rudely.
「—The Bolieiro-kun whose nose is crooked, and in addition, whose front teeth are also missing」
「—」
Michel’s smile froze, and his face flushed in one breath.
「You, that, and the other two people too; first of all, do you fully understand who saved you?」
「T, that’s… of course, we understand. I don’t know what I should say to express my gratitude to Babel-geika…」
「I don’t need your insincere and empty thanks in particular; in return for that, won’t you leave it at that? It looks like this and that will become troublesome, you see」
Shakira, who had put her tankard down, rested her chin in her left hand and rolled a boiled egg with her empty right hand.
「I, I can’t do that! He tried to kill us, you know!?」
「The other party also said that it was like that, right? Then, we can call it even. Right, Your Highness?」
「I also want to do so, but only this I can’t do so. Father will nag at me, saying “Dissolve the chivalric order, which is like playing house, if you can’t manage the members properly”, after all」
The Crown Prince, who had shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly, gulped down his wine and sighed.
「—Since nobody witness the scene, it’d be good if there’s some physical evidence though」
「Now that you mention it, Your Highness」
Shakira, who had filled her mouth with the boiled egg and ham alternately, pointed at Michel with the tip of her fork.
「—That Bolieiro-kun whose nose and front teeth were broken, that, while I was treating him, he was saying “I was in the wrong, forgive me” in delirium the whole time, you know?」
「—」
The expression of the Crown Prince, who seemed to be smiling wryly, became stiff at Shakira’s words.
「…What does that mean, Michel Bolieiro?」
「T, t, that’s… n, no, y, you’re mistaken!」
Michel’s red face turned ghastly pale, and he hurriedly tried to gloss over it.
「Ah, it’s fine, Bolieiro-kyou」
The Crown Prince stood up from his chair and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
「Since there are no witnesses, it can’t be helped. I’ll decide what I think is right here. —I’ll expel Dimitar Richternach from the Seal Chivalric Order」
「…!」
Lucius opened his eyes wide and stared at the Crown Prince’s profile.
「Not just Her Eminence’s story, I also received a report from the vice-leader, but Richternach-kyou, who couldn’t handle magic properly and let it go out of control, don’t have the qualification to become a member, who must be perfect in both magic and swordsmanship, of our chivalric order. —Am I right?」
The last few words were obviously directed at Lucius. Considering the incident Dimitar had caused, expulsion might certainly be an appropriate punishment. Even if Michel’s party attacking him was the impetus, the fact that Dimitar had let his magic power go out of control wouldn’t change.
「…Well, though I can’t say this openly」
Shaking his big hat, the Crown Prince added on.
「This is certainly out of regard for Bolieiro-kyou’s Otou-ue too」
「…Thank you very much」
Michel wiped his sweat openly as if he had felt relieved and smiled broadly.
However, his smile stiffened immediately.
「—And then, the three of you are also expelled」
「Huh!?」
「Expulsion, you know, expulsion punishment. Michel Bolieiro-kyou, as well as both Bolieiro-kyous, Hugo and Héctor, will also receive expulsion punishment」
「No way…!」
「It takes two to make a quarrel—」
「What are you saying? You’re completely wrong」
Ignoring the three people speaking their objections respectively, the Crown Prince spoke nonchalantly.
「—That’s because you’re weak」
「…Eh?」
「“It takes two to make a quarrel” normally means that it’s between people who fought on even terms, doesn’t it? But you’re weak. If what you guys said is right, it means that, in short, all three of you were about to be killed by Richternach-kyou alone, right?」
「T, that’s—」
「Although it’s not my place to say so, such weak fellows aren’t needed in the chivalric order from now on. …I’m not joking or saying this on a whim; it’s because I really want to make this chivalric order into a group of strong warriors only」
“Therefore, you guys are the first step of the purge.” The pupils of the Crown Prince, who had smiled and informed them so, weren’t smiling like that seemingly frivolous tone of his.
Michel’s party looked at each other mutually.
「Y, you’re mistaken, Your Highness! That’s… ah, that was a surprise attack! That Richternach brat made a surprise attack on us when we were coming out of the tent, and…!」
「All three of you? In an instant? Without even the time to counterattack?」
「Y, yes!」
「And he didn’t finish you off thoroughly?」
「Ah? Ah, no, that’s—」
「That’s enough」
A displeased wrinkle was carved on the Crown Prince’s forehead, and he held out his hand to Shakira.
「Your Eminence, pass that to me」
「Yes」
What Shakira had passed to the Crown Prince was an arrow that was broken into two in the middle. The Crown Prince threw the arrow to the front of Michel’s party and asked them.
「This was the arrow that was stuck in Richternach-kyou’s back. …Do you recognise it?」
「N, no—」
「There’s no way that you don’t, right? Isn’t that the arrow we usually use for hunting?」
The Seal Chivalric Order’s equipment was all custom-made, but the army equipment that one could tell the difference the easiest was the arrow. The arrows supplied to the army used duck feathers as arrow feathers in order to procure a large number with standardised quality, whereas the arrow feathers of the arrows used by the chivalric order—because of the Crown Prince’s fixation—were made of precious snow-white falcon feathers.
What Michel had picked up with his trembling hand was certainly the arrow of the chivalric order, which had pure white arrow feathers.
「Her Eminence extracted it personally, so there’s no doubt that this was stuck in Richternach-kyou’s back. …The question is who shot this arrow. It’s a matter of course, but it’s impossible that the degenerate ex-bandits would have this arrow, so naturally, someone from the chivalric order must have shot it」
The Crown Prince, who had gone round by the side of the table and come to the front of Michel’s party, was carrying a slender sword in his hand before one knew it.
「…Besides the four people concerned, not a single person saw you and Richternach-kyou fighting. This means that there were only the four of you there. Am I right?」
「Y, yes…」
「That’s to say, other than the three of you, there’s no one else who could have shot the arrow at Richternach-kyou, right? He can’t shoot his own back by himself, after all. —Well, who was it? Among the three of you, who received a surprise attack from Richternach-kyou and were defeated in an instant and were letting out painful cries the whole time while sleeping until Her Eminence treated you, who on earth could have shot the arrow from his back?」
「T, that’s…」
Michel was at a loss for words and kept his mouth shut. Staring at the Crown Prince’s sword, which was placed on his shoulder quietly, from a close distance, he broke out in a cold sweat again. The other two people also couldn’t utter words of explanation any more and were trembling.
Hitting Michel’s cheek with the back of the sword, the Crown Prince muttered.
「…Your words are nothing but lies」
「Y, Your Highness—」
「Though this chivalric order doesn’t need weak fellows, it doesn’t need liars either. Lying means that you aren’t loyal to me」
The Crown Prince swung the sword once, kept it in the scabbard and returned to the breakfast table.
「We can properly determine whether you’re right or wrong here, but if we do that, I think it’ll probably become inconvenient for the Bolieiro House in various ways. That’s why, hora, I said it just now too, right? Out of regard for Bolieiro-kyou’s Otou-ue, I don’t want to do so. If you understand, then accept the reality obediently」
「P, please! Please reconsider, Your Highness! Please! Please, please, just not the expulsion punishment—」
「You’re so stupid」
The Crown Prince stared at Michel, who was pleading desperately, coldly and reached for the fig.
「—Even if you want to make a surprise attack, why would you use the bow and arrow that we usually use as they are? In addition to being weak, you’re a liar, and on top of that, you’re also stupid; my chivalric order doesn’t need such awful people from now on. …I’d like you not to make me say this so many times」
「Your Highness!」
「You’ve been talking repetitively since morning… if you can enumerate such worthless excuses, then it seems that your physical condition doesn’t have any problem already. When we arrive at Selsuru, I’ll prepare a carriage for you, so the three of you should board it and return to the capital. And then, repent in your home until you receive the official notice」
「N, no way…」
「If you can’t obey this, it won’t end with just your expulsion punishment. —I’ll speak to Father and get him to prohibit everyone of the Bolieiro House from entering and leaving the royal palace」
「…!」
Michel made a strange sound inside his throat and didn’t say anything any more. He probably was able to finally understand that no matter how much he struggled, let alone calming down the Crown Prince’s anger any more, things might become even more severe if he wasn’t careful.
When Michel’s party, the three of them, were urged by the other members and withdrew from the front of the Crown Prince, Lucius bowed very deeply.
「Thank you very much, Your Highness」
「I haven’t done anything to be thanked by you though」
The Crown Prince smiled while licking his finger that had got wet from the fruit juice of the fig; the calmness until just now had disappeared from his pupils as if it was a lie.
「—But well, it’s fine for you to feel a debt of gratitude of your own accord. I’ll have you return the favour in some way someday, after all」
「Yes」
「Ha—… good grief, it took up so much time in the end」
When Shakira, who had even consumed the Crown Prince’s portion of breakfast completely, jumped down from the chair lightly, she hit Lucius on the bottom, seemingly relaxed.
「Well then, Lucius-kun, let’s go to where that Richternach-kyou, who, let alone a title, had even lost the position of an apprentice member, is. I want to take a walk to help my digestion」
「Yes…」
Although he felt more or less satisfied because Michel had been punished, he felt down as expected when he thought about Dimitar. The Crown Prince spoke to Lucius, who had nodded and then drooped his head, with a sigh.
「—Since he can’t return to the capital together with those three people, can you tell him to return home immediately for me?」
「…I already had him make preparations with that intention from the beginning」
Lucius bowed lightly and started to walk together with Shakira.
A hastily made table was set up at the remains of the camping site where a burnt smell still faintly remained, and a simple breakfast of just lightly toasted breads, smoked hams and also cheeses and boiled eggs were lined up on it.
However, the Crown Prince, who had said that he had no appetite because of lack of sleep, had been drinking wine only since just now and had hardly consumed them. On the contrary, Shakira claimed that she was hungry as she had worked throughout the night and was even extending her fork towards the Crown Prince’s plate.
Lucius, who was standing by beside the Crown Prince, spoke in a small voice.
「…We’ll be going to Selsuru like this today. If you don’t eat even just a little—」
「I just don’t have any appetite.Even if I don’t have lack of sleep, there are those kinds of faces right before my eyes, you see」
In front of Isaac, who had also replied so in a whisper, were Michel, Héctor and also Hugo kneeling down side by side. All three people had wrapped bandages here and there, but the fact that it ended with this degree despite them sustaining burns to the extent that they were dying was probably due to Shakira giving them first aid with magic.
Seemingly unaware of the fact that he had made the Crown Prince lose his appetite, Michel continued to shout, his saliva flying from the corners of his mouth.
「Your Highness! That brat was going to kill us! Please pass a strict judgement on him in accordance with the chivalric order’s rules! Please pass a just judgement on that impudent Dimitar Richternach!」
「Even if you tell me that…」
Without even hiding a big yawn, the Crown Prince rubbed his eyes sleepily.
「Ah, Lucius-kun, what did the Richternach-kyou, who isn’t you, say about this matter?」
「He said that it was them who had tried to kill him. He was suddenly shot by an arrow during the fight against the thieves」
Lucius stared at Michel and answered so.
Properly speaking, Dimitar should have answered that with his own mouth. Confronting Michel’s party in front of the Crown Prince and declaring his own innocence and the other party’s lawlessness should have been the right way.
However, Dimitar wasn’t allowed to do that. For troubles within the group, it was stipulated that the fellow members would assert their rightfulness in front of the leader, and upon hearing the points of both sides, the leader would judge their right and wrong, but Michel rejected Dimitar’s presence on the grounds that his status was still an apprentice.
「That’s nonsense!」
Hugo, who was next to Michel, shouted.
「That guy is speaking without thinking, Your Highness! We also saw it! That brat suddenly attacked Michel… and the two of us tried to stop him—」
「That’s right! If Oji-ue learns of this matter—」
Héctor also kept in tune with Hugo and asserted so. Lucius’s eyebrows quivered, and he secretly clenched his fists tightly.
「Ah, so noisy, so noisy; can I have one person do the talking?」
The Crown Prince waved his hand and knitted his brows.
「…Michel, and you on both his sides! All three of you are close relatives, right? If that’s the case, the testimony of you guys can’t be accepted as evidence, you know」
「No way…!」
「B, but in that case, both sides can’t assert their rightfulness!」
「Judging from the situation—」
Lucius spoke to the Crown Prince in a voice that had pushed emotion aside as much as possible.
「It doesn’t seem that Richternach-kyou acted to make a surprise attack on them. When I went towards the scene, I met the members who had escaped late, and according to the report I received, Richternach-kyou had remained there alone to fight against the thieves—」
「Who said such a thing!」
As if to suppress Lucius’s words, Michel stood up and shouted.
「If a person who had said such a thing exists, I want them to come out! Come on!」
Michel looked back at the members sitting in a row behind him, opened his arms exaggeratedly and appealed to them. However, nobody responded to that and stepped forward. They were most likely afraid of going against the Bolieiro House. Although Lucius remembered the faces and names of the apprentices whom he had talked with last night, he also didn’t particularly feel like forcing a tough decision on them here.
Seeing that no one came out, Michel smiled contentedly.
「Hey」
At that moment, Shakira, who was holding a tin tankard with both hands and drinking wine, called out to Michel rudely.
「—The Bolieiro-kun whose nose is crooked, and in addition, whose front teeth are also missing」
「—」
Michel’s smile froze, and his face flushed in one breath.
「You, that, and the other two people too; first of all, do you fully understand who saved you?」
「T, that’s… of course, we understand. I don’t know what I should say to express my gratitude to Babel-geika…」
「I don’t need your insincere and empty thanks in particular; in return for that, won’t you leave it at that? It looks like this and that will become troublesome, you see」
Shakira, who had put her tankard down, rested her chin in her left hand and rolled a boiled egg with her empty right hand.
「I, I can’t do that! He tried to kill us, you know!?」
「The other party also said that it was like that, right? Then, we can call it even. Right, Your Highness?」
「I also want to do so, but only this I can’t do so. Father will nag at me, saying “Dissolve the chivalric order, which is like playing house, if you can’t manage the members properly”, after all」
The Crown Prince, who had shrugged his shoulders exaggeratedly, gulped down his wine and sighed.
「—Since nobody witness the scene, it’d be good if there’s some physical evidence though」
「Now that you mention it, Your Highness」
Shakira, who had filled her mouth with the boiled egg and ham alternately, pointed at Michel with the tip of her fork.
「—That Bolieiro-kun whose nose and front teeth were broken, that, while I was treating him, he was saying “I was in the wrong, forgive me” in delirium the whole time, you know?」
「—」
The expression of the Crown Prince, who seemed to be smiling wryly, became stiff at Shakira’s words.
「…What does that mean, Michel Bolieiro?」
「T, t, that’s… n, no, y, you’re mistaken!」
Michel’s red face turned ghastly pale, and he hurriedly tried to gloss over it.
「Ah, it’s fine, Bolieiro-kyou」
The Crown Prince stood up from his chair and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
「Since there are no witnesses, it can’t be helped. I’ll decide what I think is right here. —I’ll expel Dimitar Richternach from the Seal Chivalric Order」
「…!」
Lucius opened his eyes wide and stared at the Crown Prince’s profile.
「Not just Her Eminence’s story, I also received a report from the vice-leader, but Richternach-kyou, who couldn’t handle magic properly and let it go out of control, don’t have the qualification to become a member, who must be perfect in both magic and swordsmanship, of our chivalric order. —Am I right?」
The last few words were obviously directed at Lucius. Considering the incident Dimitar had caused, expulsion might certainly be an appropriate punishment. Even if Michel’s party attacking him was the impetus, the fact that Dimitar had let his magic power go out of control wouldn’t change.
「…Well, though I can’t say this openly」
Shaking his big hat, the Crown Prince added on.
「This is certainly out of regard for Bolieiro-kyou’s Otou-ue too」
「…Thank you very much」
Michel wiped his sweat openly as if he had felt relieved and smiled broadly.
However, his smile stiffened immediately.
「—And then, the three of you are also expelled」
「Huh!?」
「Expulsion, you know, expulsion punishment. Michel Bolieiro-kyou, as well as both Bolieiro-kyous, Hugo and Héctor, will also receive expulsion punishment」
「No way…!」
「It takes two to make a quarrel—」
「What are you saying? You’re completely wrong」
Ignoring the three people speaking their objections respectively, the Crown Prince spoke nonchalantly.
「—That’s because you’re weak」
「…Eh?」
「“It takes two to make a quarrel” normally means that it’s between people who fought on even terms, doesn’t it? But you’re weak. If what you guys said is right, it means that, in short, all three of you were about to be killed by Richternach-kyou alone, right?」
「T, that’s—」
「Although it’s not my place to say so, such weak fellows aren’t needed in the chivalric order from now on. …I’m not joking or saying this on a whim; it’s because I really want to make this chivalric order into a group of strong warriors only」
“Therefore, you guys are the first step of the purge.” The pupils of the Crown Prince, who had smiled and informed them so, weren’t smiling like that seemingly frivolous tone of his.
Michel’s party looked at each other mutually.
「Y, you’re mistaken, Your Highness! That’s… ah, that was a surprise attack! That Richternach brat made a surprise attack on us when we were coming out of the tent, and…!」
「All three of you? In an instant? Without even the time to counterattack?」
「Y, yes!」
「And he didn’t finish you off thoroughly?」
「Ah? Ah, no, that’s—」
「That’s enough」
A displeased wrinkle was carved on the Crown Prince’s forehead, and he held out his hand to Shakira.
「Your Eminence, pass that to me」
「Yes」
What Shakira had passed to the Crown Prince was an arrow that was broken into two in the middle. The Crown Prince threw the arrow to the front of Michel’s party and asked them.
「This was the arrow that was stuck in Richternach-kyou’s back. …Do you recognise it?」
「N, no—」
「There’s no way that you don’t, right? Isn’t that the arrow we usually use for hunting?」
The Seal Chivalric Order’s equipment was all custom-made, but the army equipment that one could tell the difference the easiest was the arrow. The arrows supplied to the army used duck feathers as arrow feathers in order to procure a large number with standardised quality, whereas the arrow feathers of the arrows used by the chivalric order—because of the Crown Prince’s fixation—were made of precious snow-white falcon feathers.
What Michel had picked up with his trembling hand was certainly the arrow of the chivalric order, which had pure white arrow feathers.
「Her Eminence extracted it personally, so there’s no doubt that this was stuck in Richternach-kyou’s back. …The question is who shot this arrow. It’s a matter of course, but it’s impossible that the degenerate ex-bandits would have this arrow, so naturally, someone from the chivalric order must have shot it」
The Crown Prince, who had gone round by the side of the table and come to the front of Michel’s party, was carrying a slender sword in his hand before one knew it.
「…Besides the four people concerned, not a single person saw you and Richternach-kyou fighting. This means that there were only the four of you there. Am I right?」
「Y, yes…」
「That’s to say, other than the three of you, there’s no one else who could have shot the arrow at Richternach-kyou, right? He can’t shoot his own back by himself, after all. —Well, who was it? Among the three of you, who received a surprise attack from Richternach-kyou and were defeated in an instant and were letting out painful cries the whole time while sleeping until Her Eminence treated you, who on earth could have shot the arrow from his back?」
「T, that’s…」
Michel was at a loss for words and kept his mouth shut. Staring at the Crown Prince’s sword, which was placed on his shoulder quietly, from a close distance, he broke out in a cold sweat again. The other two people also couldn’t utter words of explanation any more and were trembling.
Hitting Michel’s cheek with the back of the sword, the Crown Prince muttered.
「…Your words are nothing but lies」
「Y, Your Highness—」
「Though this chivalric order doesn’t need weak fellows, it doesn’t need liars either. Lying means that you aren’t loyal to me」
The Crown Prince swung the sword once, kept it in the scabbard and returned to the breakfast table.
「We can properly determine whether you’re right or wrong here, but if we do that, I think it’ll probably become inconvenient for the Bolieiro House in various ways. That’s why, hora, I said it just now too, right? Out of regard for Bolieiro-kyou’s Otou-ue, I don’t want to do so. If you understand, then accept the reality obediently」
「P, please! Please reconsider, Your Highness! Please! Please, please, just not the expulsion punishment—」
「You’re so stupid」
The Crown Prince stared at Michel, who was pleading desperately, coldly and reached for the fig.
「—Even if you want to make a surprise attack, why would you use the bow and arrow that we usually use as they are? In addition to being weak, you’re a liar, and on top of that, you’re also stupid; my chivalric order doesn’t need such awful people from now on. …I’d like you not to make me say this so many times」
「Your Highness!」
「You’ve been talking repetitively since morning… if you can enumerate such worthless excuses, then it seems that your physical condition doesn’t have any problem already. When we arrive at Selsuru, I’ll prepare a carriage for you, so the three of you should board it and return to the capital. And then, repent in your home until you receive the official notice」
「N, no way…」
「If you can’t obey this, it won’t end with just your expulsion punishment. —I’ll speak to Father and get him to prohibit everyone of the Bolieiro House from entering and leaving the royal palace」
「…!」
Michel made a strange sound inside his throat and didn’t say anything any more. He probably was able to finally understand that no matter how much he struggled, let alone calming down the Crown Prince’s anger any more, things might become even more severe if he wasn’t careful.
When Michel’s party, the three of them, were urged by the other members and withdrew from the front of the Crown Prince, Lucius bowed very deeply.
「Thank you very much, Your Highness」
「I haven’t done anything to be thanked by you though」
The Crown Prince smiled while licking his finger that had got wet from the fruit juice of the fig; the calmness until just now had disappeared from his pupils as if it was a lie.
「—But well, it’s fine for you to feel a debt of gratitude of your own accord. I’ll have you return the favour in some way someday, after all」
「Yes」
「Ha—… good grief, it took up so much time in the end」
When Shakira, who had even consumed the Crown Prince’s portion of breakfast completely, jumped down from the chair lightly, she hit Lucius on the bottom, seemingly relaxed.
「Well then, Lucius-kun, let’s go to where that Richternach-kyou, who, let alone a title, had even lost the position of an apprentice member, is. I want to take a walk to help my digestion」
「Yes…」
Although he felt more or less satisfied because Michel had been punished, he felt down as expected when he thought about Dimitar. The Crown Prince spoke to Lucius, who had nodded and then drooped his head, with a sigh.
「—Since he can’t return to the capital together with those three people, can you tell him to return home immediately for me?」
「…I already had him make preparations with that intention from the beginning」
Lucius bowed lightly and started to walk together with Shakira.
